Siedlung Rietholz – H + A Hubacher

A pioneering example of prefabricated construction

A plea for an appreciation of post-war architecture

Focal theme: Women in Architecture

The Rietholz Housing Estate, built in Zollikerberg, Canton Zurich, in 1959, garnered great praise for its trail-blazing prefabricated construction. Designed by the famous Zurich architects office H + A Hubacher, the estate is made up of 300 apartments in five different building types. Rietholz is an impressive example of how differentiated and high-quality architecture can be created through the use of standardised building elements. 

The book explores what at the time was a new kind of building procedure, and one that was both admired and feared by contemporary architects. With the help of hitherto unpublished historical plans and current photographs, the history of the project is traced over an extended time-period, or the longue durée, and the life of the residents rendered visible. There is a particular focus is on the game-changing role of Annemarie Hubacher-Constam, who, as the office’s design architect and director of the second Swiss Exhibition for Women’s Work (Saffa) in 1958, is one of the pioneers of the profession in Switzerland.